“Vedi Napoli e poi muori.”

This documentary portrays Naples through the voices of its people, focusing on religion, football, history, and the figures they proudly identify with. Neapolitans often express their sense of belonging with striking phrases such as “I am Neapolitan, not Italian” or “We don’t have any money here, but we have it all.” The film shows how religion, football, and history shape daily life, and how the deep pride of the people turns even hardship into a strong collective identity.

Moodboard

Expose

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Progress presentation

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Final movie

Reflection

Working on Vedi Napoli e poi muori was an important learning process for me, especially in terms of technical and practical aspects of documentary filmmaking. One of the main challenges was the sound. Since I mostly relied on the in-camera microphone and a simple recorder, the audio quality was not always as clear as I had hoped. For future projects, I would work with professional sound equipment, because I realized how essential sound is for atmosphere and authenticity in a documentary.

Another aspect was the camera work. The spontaneous and handheld style created an authentic energy, but it also led to many unstable shots. In the future, I would either work with more stable equipment or deliberately combine different aesthetics, such as mixing handheld or vintage-style shots with higher-quality, more stable images. This would create a richer visual texture and balance between immediacy and precision.

Overall, this project taught me that documentary filmmaking requires both flexibility and careful planning. I would put more emphasis on technical preparation next time, while still leaving room for spontaneous encounters and authentic voices – because it is precisely these voices that give Naples its unique identity.